The invention relates to animal training and restraint devices such as halters, muzzles, and collars on leashes used in the training and control of animals, particularly animals having muzzles such as canines.
These devices are used to bend the animal's actions to the master's will. The idea is to cause the animal to voluntarily comply, and avoid the physical tug-of-war that occurs when the animal wants to go a different direction than its master, or wants to move faster or slower than the master. Beyond the simple leash and collar, which engenders this type of contest, there are currently in use choking collars, which are simply a canine version of the hangman's noose, and inwardly spiked collars, which when tugged by the leash causes the animal to prefer to acquiesce to the master's wishes rather than suffer the pain of the spikes digging into its neck.
Both the choking collar and the spiked collar are based on the infliction of pain to restrain the animal, and are looked upon by some as being inhumane. In addition, they may not be very effective, first, because the directional guidance provided the dog is somewhat rough, and second, because the animal will respond in inverse proportion of the thickness of its pelt at the neck.
There is thus a need for a device which will more accurately direct the dog, and will do so without the infliction of pain on the animal.